Sibling jealousy in early childhood: longitudinal links to sibling relationship quality

The current investigation examined the long-term prediction of sibling jealousy assessed in a laboratory-based paradigm on sibling relationship quality 2 1/2 years later. This multi-method longitudinal study included mothers, fathers, and two children from 35 families. Younger siblings were 16 months and older siblings were, on average, 4 years at Time 1. Positive longitudinal associations were found between older siblings' jealousy reactions when interacting with the father at Time 1 and sibling conflict at Time 2. These associations continued to exist even when older siblings' behaviour during the mother sessions was considered. Children's inability to regulate their jealous reactions may be indicative of lower levels of emotion regulation skills, which may, in turn, translate to poorer sibling interactions years later. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/83736/1/690_ftp.pd

Minor Illnesses, Temperament, and Toddler Social Functioning

Minor illnesses, such as upper respiratory infections, stomachaches, and fevers, have been associated with children’s decreased activity and increased irritability. Mothers of children who are frequently ill report more child behavior problems; however, previous research in this area has yet to simultaneously examine children’s temperament. This investigation examined whether experience with recurrent, minor illnesses and negative emotionality worked together to predict young children’s social functioning. This multi-method study utilized a sample of 110 daycare-attending children. Nurses went to the daycare centers weekly to perform health screens on the participating children. Minor illness experience was represented using a proportion created by dividing the number of illness diagnoses by the total number of health screenings completed from the time the child was enrolled in the study through his or her second birthday. Toddlers’ negative emotionality and social behavior were assessed using mothers’ and fathers’ reports. The two dimensions of negative emotionality and minor illness experience operated in different ways such that anger worked additively with minor illness experience and fearfulness interacted with minor illness experience to predict social behavior. Children who were described as more temperamentally angry displayed less social competence especially when they also experienced high proportions of minor illness. Temperamentally fearful children exhibited more externalizing problems when they experienced a higher frequency of illness whereas fearfulness was not associated to externalizing problems for children who experienced low proportions of illness

Minor Illnesses, Temperament, and Toddler Social Functioning

Minor illnesses, such as upper respiratory infections, stomachaches, and fevers, have been associated with children’s decreased activity and increased irritability. Mothers of children who are frequently ill report more child behavior problems; however, previous research in this area has yet to simultaneously examine children’s temperament. This investigation examined whether experience with recurrent, minor illnesses and negative emotionality worked together to predict young children’s social functioning. This multi-method study utilized a sample of 110 daycare-attending children. Nurses went to the daycare centers weekly to perform health screens on the participating children. Minor illness experience was represented using a proportion created by dividing the number of illness diagnoses by the total number of health screenings completed from the time the child was enrolled in the study through his or her second birthday. Toddlers’ negative emotionality and social behavior were assessed using mothers’ and fathers’ reports. The two dimensions of negative emotionality and minor illness experience operated in different ways such that anger worked additively with minor illness experience and fearfulness interacted with minor illness experience to predict social behavior. Children who were described as more temperamentally angry displayed less social competence especially when they also experienced high proportions of minor illness. Temperamentally fearful children exhibited more externalizing problems when they experienced a higher frequency of illness whereas fearfulness was not associated to externalizing problems for children who experienced low proportions of illness